Full metal is probably like the ultimate best ever war movie. It just brutal to watch sometimes especially when Vincent D'Onofrio character got beat down tied with the soap bar.
Two superb war movies that weren’t mentioned until being posted while I was thinking about 5 or so war films that hadn’t been mentioned is The Deer Hunter (surprised that it took so long, but kudos to @FrontRunner and @Buck Turgidson.) One not mentioned that follows a platoon not long on the front that gets caught up in the Battle of the Bulge is Battleground (1949). Highly recommended. Another more recent is The Big Red One, (1980). I’ll think about some others and add them here.
There are so many good to great WW1 & WW2 films. Sometimes the list seems endless. Several the best are from the 40’s and 50’s. I would be surprised if I haven’t seen 90% of them. So far, I think I’ve seen every one mentioned from those two decades, as well as most of those from the 60’s and ‘70’s. I was raised to be a movie junky.
Sgt York Decision Before Dawn Catch 22 * Bedford Incident Edit: Sink the Bismarck! LifeBoat* ___________________ * It depends on the definition of "War Movie" that is being used in this thread.
I think at this point, I should add in The Mouse That Roared. The premise is better than the overall execution which is a little inconsistent. But it is definitely enough and with the originality giving the edge up, it deserves mention. I'll throw in Viva Max for good measure.
Great idea, FB! I've seen that at least 3 times, probably more. It's a classic, both a war film and a laugh riot. One of the best performances uncorked by Peter Sellers, for sure. While 1959 might not be the most talked about year, it was a good year to go to the movies. The novel Starship Troopers was based on Dr Robert Heinlein's novel of the same name. It came out in '59 and it was probably early 1960 when I got it in the mail from the Science Fiction Book Club. Likely a little dated now. but a great read. I thought the film did an excellent job adapting it to the screen.
All Quiet On The Western Front Glory Fury Paths of Glory Saving Private Ryan Favorite war documentary is this:
Also, liked Munich: The Edge of War on Netflix. Also, Conspiracy. These are more Lead-up-to War movies. Conspiracy is actually about the planning of the holocaust.
One that most people on the board probably haven't seen: Lebanon. It is an Israeli film about a tank crew during the Israel/Lebanon war.
This is one of my favorites classic documentary style with a single narrator -- the entire series is uploaded to youtube.
